I dont always net my bass but i do with walleye and pike. My old nets are terrible and get lots of tangles with stinger hooks and trebles. Is everyone using rubber nets now? What nets do you recommend, mostly for bass and walleye, maybe Ill size one for the occasional pike not sure.

20 minutes ago, WRangler506 said:

I dont always net my bass but i do with walleye and pike. My old nets are terrible and get lots of tangles with stinger hooks and trebles. Is everyone using rubber nets now? What nets do you recommend, mostly for bass and walleye, maybe Ill size one for the occasional pike not sure.

Same issue with treble hooks for me. I was looking at rubber nets but then

my DIY mind decided to Google it. Found several folks who have used rubber

sprays and loved the result. I happened to have some spray so I rubberized

my net this afternoon. So far it feels great. A little stiff for now, but I hope to

test it soon.

 

I've got a telescoping version of one of these. If I had clear rubber, I'd have

used it, but I only had black. Since I don't really use the measuring stuff I didn't

mind spraying over.

 

I use rubber nets. They can be heavy compared to normal nets but I spent a lot less time getting fish and hooks out. Well worth it for me 

Frabill Conservation is the best I've ever used. Coated bag so it's good with hooks, maybe not quite as good as a huge rubber net but the hooks can't pierce the individual mesh. Twist the handle and pull to extend it. Used for bass/walleye/pike. The flat bottom is nice so the fish are pretty secure once they're in there.

I use the Frabill Conservation Series Landing Net with Camlock Reinforced Handle, 20 X 23-Inch - 

Very pleased with it.

 

And a Great deal on it right here ~ https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003JSLWLQ/ref=oh_aui_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

AJay

4 minutes ago, A-Jay said:

I use the Frabill Conservation Series Landing Net with Camlock Reinforced Handle, 20 X 23-Inch - 

Very pleased with it.

 

And a Great deal on it right here ~ https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003JSLWLQ/ref=oh_aui_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

AJay

^^^^this^^^^

Tom

Thanks a lot guys. That's why I love this place. I'll look into that frabil  that looks like the one I saw in the store a few months ago, or similar.

I have these nets for kayak and boat.  Fold up very nicely.  I don't know why there are so many negative reviews but they have been good to me for bass and pike

https://www.basspro.com/shop/en/bass-pro-shops-gold-series-folding-landing-net

Whatever type of net you decide on, having the material be "tangle free" and "hook resistant" will save you a lot of headaches.

On 2/22/2019 at 7:53 PM, A-Jay said:

I use the Frabill Conservation Series Landing Net with Camlock Reinforced Handle, 20 X 23-Inch - 

Very pleased with it.

 

And a Great deal on it right here ~ https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003JSLWLQ/ref=oh_aui_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

AJay

Same here. Great net.

 

BTW, I love how you have a pic for every recommendation you give.

8 hours ago, NorthernBasser said:

Same here. Great net.

 

BTW, I love how you have a pic for every recommendation you give.

Thanks ~

A-Jay

On 2/22/2019 at 7:53 PM, A-Jay said:

I use the Frabill Conservation Series Landing Net with Camlock Reinforced Handle, 20 X 23-Inch - 

Very pleased with it.

 

And a Great deal on it right here ~ https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003JSLWLQ/ref=oh_aui_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

AJay

That was the net I used to use. I couldn’t stand it. I spent more time getting hooks out of it than I spent fishing. Single hook baits were fine, but multiple treble hook lures always got too tangled. Not a bad price at Amazon. I paid a lot more for mine. I eventually gave it away.

Large knotless rubber mesh nets like the Cabela’s Conservation Series I’ve used for over 20 years has been proven to be the best/safest style of net for multiple species of fish and pose no issues with any type of hook.

 

3 hours ago, Scott F said:

That was the net I used to use. I couldn’t stand it. I spent more time getting hooks out of it than I spent fishing. Single hook baits were fine, but multiple treble hook lures always got too tangled. Not a bad price at Amazon. I paid a lot more for mine. I eventually gave it away.

The top three desirable characteristics on this model net for me are Quality Durable Construction, the extendable & collapsible handle for easy storage, and The Light Weight.  Additionally the 'net bag type' plays an intricate role in the overall scheme with this net for me; and I'll explain how & why.  But first, I will totally agree with you that treble hooks can & do get tangled up on occasion.  Which can be somewhat time consuming to get them out. 

But here's the other side of it.  The net is light, balanced and super easy to manage with one hand.

ALL of this is extremely important to me.  Because when I am fishing the fish of a life time, (which fortunately, has actually happened at least a couple of times the past few of years) since I fish solo most of the time, I want to feel confident that I am offering myself the best chance to net it.  It has worked out well.

   The season before last I switched out the stock 'knotless' net bag for a black rubber bag.  While it was truly 100 % treble hook tangle free - IT WEIGHED A TON !  And while feel I am in at least average physical condition & strength, I had a heck of time getting most every spirited smallmouth bass into it.  So, I switched it out to the lighter stock net bag  fairly quickly and haven't looked back.  Bottom line for me is, I'll untangle a few hooks now & then when the trade off is ensuring I get to hold a big fish that was 50 years plus in the making.

YMMV.

 

btw @NorthernBasser - This one's just for you

A-Jay

 

25 minutes ago, A-Jay said:

The top three desirable characteristics on this model net for me are Quality Durable Construction, the extendable & collapsible handle for easy storage, and The Light Weight.  Additionally the 'net bag type' plays an intricate role in the overall scheme with this net for me; and I'll explain how & why.  But first, I will totally agree with you that treble hooks can & do get tangled up on occasion.  Which can be somewhat time consuming to get them out. 

But here's the other side of it.  The net is light, balanced and super easy to manage with one hand.

ALL of this is extremely important to me.  Because when I am fishing the fish of a life time, (which fortunately, has actually happened at least a couple of times the past few of years) since I fish solo most of the time, I want to feel confident that I am offering myself the best chance to net it.  It has worked out well.

   The season before last I switched out the stock 'knotless' net bag for a black rubber bag.  While it was truly 100 % treble hook tangle free - IT WEIGHED A TON !  And while feel I am in at least average physical condition & strength, I had a heck of time getting most every spirited smallmouth bass into it.  So, I switched it out to the lighter stock net bag  fairly quickly and haven't looked back.  Bottom line for me is, I'll untangle a few hooks now & then when the trade off is ensuring I get to hold a big fish that was 50 years plus in the making.

YMMV.

 

btw @NorthernBasser - This one's just for you

A-Jay

 

I agree with you 100%. It's why I bought the net in the first place. I don't fish alone too much so the heavier rubber net isn't much of a problem. In spring, we'll catch over 200 smallies in a day, most on smallish jerkbaits. Wasting a lot of time on the net during a hot bite where the fish are schooled up just cannot happen. I did keep the handle off the Conservation series net.

The heavy rubber nets are nearly impossible to maneuver underwater, you must keep the net still and slide the fish into it. Bought one years ago for night tournaments using crankbaits and it was a deasater and gave it away. The light weight knotless nets work great, no problems netting crankbait bass at night or tangling hooks in the net like they do with a tradition knot type net.

Tom